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Breaking Technology Barriers

Aug 13. 2024
  • Dongwoo Lee, Head of Technology Solution, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics

    Dongwoo Lee

    Head of Technology Solution, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics

    Sanjay Kodali, Head of Technology, Networks Business, Samsung Electronics America

    Sanjay Kodali

    Head of Technology, Networks Business, Samsung Electronics America


The mobile operator landscape is undergoing a seismic shift, and Samsung is at the forefront of this change. In today's world, where technological advancements occur regularly, it's no longer sufficient for operators to simply match their competitors. The need is to actively shape the future of connectivity while constantly staying ahead of the curve.

Samsung recognizes this challenge and is leading the charge with innovative technologies that redefine what's possible for mobile operators and their customers. By leveraging cutting-edge solutions in 5G, AI, and Massive MIMO, Samsung is empowering operators not only to adapt to the change but drive it. This proactive approach allows operators to anticipate and meet the evolving needs of consumers and businesses, and create new opportunities and experiences that were once thought impossible.

Just over the past year, Samsung has achieved several technology milestones around the world, solidifying its position as a pioneer in mobile networks technology and breaking technology barriers for its customers to move ahead of the competition.

Ecosystem & Partnerships:

  • Samsung and Intel completed the industry's first end-to-end call using a future Intel® Xeon® processor (Granite Rapids-D) on Samsung's virtualized RAN and Open RAN. The test was demonstrated in Samsung's R&D center, building on the companies' long-standing collaboration in vRAN technology and reinforcing Samsung's leadership in software-centric network transformation.
  • Samsung, Vodafone, and AMD achieved the industry's first end-to-end Open RAN call using AMD EPYC 8004™ Series processors. The test in Samsung's lab demonstrated over 1 Gbps throughput, showcasing the potential for flexible, high-performance Open RAN solutions and expanding the ecosystem for more efficient mobile networks. 
  • Samsung’s virtual cell site router (vCSR) integrates Juniper Networks Cloud-Native Router with Samsung's virtualized Distributed Unit (vDU) and Wind River's Studio Cloud Platform. The vCSR represents a significant advancement in network architecture by consolidating multiple software network elements onto a single vRAN server, eliminating the need for physical router hardware typically deployed at cell sites.
  • Samsung and AWS demonstrated a data call using Samsung’s versatile vRAN software and Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) instances powered by AWS Graviton processors. This enables an end-to-end virtualized networks on AWS cloud that provides more choices for operator s to build and manage their networks in a much advanced way.

Spectral Efficiency:

  • Samsung, Qualcomm Technologies, and Boost Mobile (formerly DISH Wireless) pushed the boundaries of 5G technology, accomplishing the world's first simultaneous 5G 2x uplink and 4x downlink carrier aggregation for FDD spectrum. Conducted with a Snapdragon® X75 5G Modem RF System from Qualcomm Technologies, Samsung's 5G vRAN solution, as well as dual- and tri-band radios across the Boost Mobile 5G network, this breakthrough allows for remarkable performance improvements, with Boost Mobile rolling out this feature and achieving 200 Mbps uplink peak speeds using just 35 MHz of 5G spectrum and executing 1.3 Gbps downlink peak speeds with only 75 MHz of 5G spectrum.
  • Samsung and Qualcomm Technologies achieved an industry first by completing 1024 QAM tests for both FDD and TDD spectrum bands. Using Samsung's 5G vRAN and  Snapdragon X75 5G Modem RF System, the test showed over 20% gain in downlink speeds compared to 256 QAM. This breakthrough enables operators to maximize spectrum efficiency and deliver faster speeds for data-intensive mobile services.

Performance Innovation:

  • Samsung successfully delivered a 2G vRAN solution over a shared European commercial network in collaboration with Orange and Vodafone as part of their shared Open RAN initiative in rural Romania. By providing O-RAN-compliant radios and fully virtualized, disaggregated RAN software supporting multi-RAT (2G, 4G, and 5G), Samsung enables operators to host multiple generations of technology on a single platform.
  • Samsung and Verizon completed extensive Open RAN conformance and interoperability testing for commercial-grade LTE and 5G NR radios. The tests utilized a range of Samsung's O-RAN-compliant radios. This achievement underscores Samsung's leadership in Massive MIMO technology, especially with its 64T64R Massive MIMO radio already deployed in Verizon's large-scale commercial vRAN networks. In addition, this leadership has been validated by third-party analyst firm Signals Research Group in this in-depth whitepaper.

5G IoT:

  • Samsung and MediaTek successfully completed a 5G RedCap test over vRAN, demonstrating key energy-saving features for IoT devices. Using Samsung's vRAN 3.0 software and MediaTek's RedCap platform, the test verified features such as Paging Early Indication and extended Discontinuous Reception, paving the way for more efficient and cost-effective 5G connectivity for a diverse range of IoT devices. 

Public Safety:

  • Samsung successfully demonstrated Mission Critical Push-to-X (MCPTX) services in Australia, marking a significant milestone for the country's public safety sector. Conducted in collaboration with a leading Australian mobile operator and Etherstack plc, it showcased Samsung's advanced MCPTX solutions, including Mission Critical Push-to-Talk (MCPTT), Push-to-Video, Push-to-Data, and Temporary Disaster Roaming. The trial highlighted the seamless integration of Samsung's MCPTX technology with the existing Land Mobile Radio (LMR) systems, enabling interoperability between advanced and legacy communication systems.

Samsung's recent achievements exemplify its commitment to "Breaking Technology Barriers" in the mobile operator landscape. These innovations go beyond incremental improvements, representing a significant shift in connectivity that actively shapes the future. By addressing pressing societal challenges – from empowering first responders to bridging the digital divide – while simultaneously laying the groundwork for future advancements, Samsung enables operators to drive change rather than merely adapt to it. Moreover, Samsung's commitment to open standards and partnering with the industry-leading vendors fosters a more collaborative and innovative ecosystem, accelerating the pace of technological advancement and easing access to advanced network capabilities.